Bathing trunks



Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE United Elastic Corporation,

Easthampton,

Mass., a corporation of Masachusetts Application August 10, 1936. Serial No. 95,138

1 Claim. (Cl. 12S-159) This invention relates to swimming trunks and equivalent articles, such as the trunk sections of bathing suits.

It is a common practice to incorporate a supporter made of elastic webbing or a belt of the same material in a garment of this type, the supporter or belt forming a permanent part of the garment. Preferably a substantially white webbing is used for these purposes. The outer fabric vof the trunks, however, ordinarily consists of a knit wool fabric of the general nature of a jersey. In making trunks of the less expensive types, the outer fabric is likely to be of an extremely porous or open-mesh character. It is l5 practically always of some color, as distinguished from being white, and consequently, the white fabric of the supporter or belt is very likely to show through the poresor meshes of the outer fabric. Obviously this is highly objectionable. The matter of dyeing the elastic webbing with Aa fast color, however, substantially increases the cost of this material and therefore adds substantially tothe cost of manufacture of the trunks.

The present invention is especially concerned with this problem. It aims to improve trunks.

bathing suits, and the like, with a view to avoiding the objection above described without; increasing the manufacturing cost of the article to any substantial degree.

'30 The nature oi' the invention will be readily understood fromthe following description when read in connection with the accompanying draw? ing, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a front view of a pair of trunks embodying the present invention, portions of the garment being out away in order better to illustrate the invention; and

Fig. 2 is afront view on a smaller scale of the waist portion of a garment of this type in which a belt is included' in the waist band structure.

The particular garment shown comprises a trunk structure 2 of a .common type which may be made of jersey, or any other suitable fabric. It also includes a supporter 3- extending from the waist sectionof the trunks down the front portion 4thereof and through the crotch, this supporter Vbeing secured at one end to the outer fabric at' the waist seam 4, and at its opposite end to the rear crotch seam 5. So far as these features of construction are concerned, any common or suitable practice -may be followed.

The elastic webbing of which the supporter 3 is made may be like that used heretofore except for the changes presently to be described. It 4-is customarily fabricated of white yarn or thread and suitable rubber threads are included in its construction to give it the desired elasticity. According to the present invention, this web is 5 run through a printing machine which applies a light coating of ink to one surface oft e web. The ink used may be of any colcnapDIQkfiate to the color of the outer fabric 2. bijnaiolack ink may be used and thinned somewhat, thus giving 10 the outer surface of the fabric a neutral gray tone which'is suitable for use in a great variety of the darker colored bathing suits. The printed face of this web is placed outermost in the garment so that this surface will be next to the 15 outer fabric, while the unprinted and white side of the web will be inside, next to the wearerfs' body.

With this arrangement the supporter is substantially invisible, or at least is not easily seen. 20. 4When the bathing suit is being Worn and the simple equipment, the ink being applied to the goods with a plain roll, and the web being held stretched to the desired degree during the printing operation. The quantity of ink applied may 30 be controlled in the manner usual in printing machines. In addition, some further control is afforded by the degree to which the goods are stretched during the application of the ink and by the pressure'used in this process. Fast colored 35 inks are readily obtainable and are relatively inexpensive so that no dimculty is experienced from the running of the colors. While both sides of the web could be printed, if desired, this is rarelly an advantage. Usually it is far more prefer- 40 able to have a white or uncolored web next to the wearers body. 'I'he same result can be produced by spraying the ink on the fabric.

The belt 6, Fig. 2, may be made of the same material and concealed in the same manner. As 4f` shown, this belt is run through the Waist hem, and is completely enclosed in the hem. Since the outer surface of the belt, however, is of a dark color or of a neutral tone, it cannot readily be seen through the meshes of the outer fabric. 50

'I'he drawing shows the lower margin l of the supporter 3 turned outwardly and stitched, as is the common practice, in order to narrow the web through the crotch portion of the garment. 'I'hese' turned-over'margins, however, lie immediately 55 tion of the garment, said supporter webbing being fabricated from approximately white yarn and having rubber threads incorporated in it. and the outer surface of said supporter next to the outer fabric of the garment having a dark colored surface coating thereon serving to prevent the supporter from showing through the meshes of said outer fabric, the inner surface of said supported being uncolored. Y

JOHN RUSSELL. 

